Exploring Vietnam - Halong Bay

Halong Bay
(24 Mar 1999)

		Legend has it that Halong Bay was formed by a dragon thrashing it's tail.
		And it is easy to see where that legend came from.

Many people make a living amongst the rocks in the sea such as the fishing boat you can see on the left.

Meanwhile the tourists (such as ourselves) just drift around for a bit to take in the views and then head for dry land.

We find ourselves in one of the magnificent caves which these islands have to offer.

And finally, at the end of a very enjoyable day, we have to pack up our bags and head home.

The town of Halong is far from special but even so it still has it's good points. There is some very fresh food to be found!

As featured in the tank, this dish is called "Sea Praying Mantis" and is a species unique to the region. Very tasty, something like a cross between monkfish and prawn.

Our next port of call is a village by the name of Van Lak which is close to Mai Chau on the bottom left of the map.
Our route takes us back through Hanoi (as shown on the previous map). From there we follow Highway 6 towards the town of Hoa Binh before turning South. A short while later, and after a few rare moments of pure virgin jungle, we descend into the Mai Chau valley itself.

Some rice paddies we passed as we made our way up into the mountains.

And a few cows as well.

Bia Hoi is an excellent drink, the local beer which is like a flat lager but (ideally) chilled to perfection and very cheap too. Most of our group never tried one, I guess they missed out.

And en-route we had time to visit a local market as well.

Hanoi, Van Lak, Hue, Hoi An, My Lai, Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City, Mekong delta.

If you have any comments or suggestions about these pages then drop us a line.

If you are interested in Vietnamese Food then why not visit Sue's Recipe Server, our other Web site.

South India Overland is the record of our journey through Southern India during January and February 1997.

North India & Nepal is the record of our journey from Delhi to Kathmandu during January 1998.

		Many people make a living amongst the rocks in the sea such as the fishing boat you can see on the left.
		Meanwhile the tourists (such as ourselves) just drift around for a bit to take in the views and then head for dry land.

		We find ourselves in one of the magnificent caves which these islands have to offer.
		And finally, at the end of a very enjoyable day, we have to pack up our bags and head home.

		The town of Halong is far from special but even so it still has it's good points. There is some very fresh food to be found!
		As featured in the tank, this dish is called "Sea Praying Mantis" and is a species unique to the region. Very tasty, something like a cross between monkfish and prawn.

		Some rice paddies we passed as we made our way up into the mountains.
		And a few cows as well.

		Bia Hoi is an excellent drink, the local beer which is like a flat lager but (ideally) chilled to perfection and very cheap too. Most of our group never tried one, I guess they missed out.
		And en-route we had time to visit a local market as well.